Best Tennis Strings for Tennis Elbow: What Actually Helps and Why
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Tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis — inflammation of the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow. In tennis, it is typically caused or aggravated by repeated off-centre hits transmitting shock and vibration up through the racquet and into the arm. String choice is one of the variables that affects how much of that shock reaches your tendons on each ball contact. It is not the only variable, and strings alone will not fix a serious case. But the difference between the worst and best string choices for an arm-sensitive player is measurable and real.
This is a breakdown of which strings genuinely help and why — with the mechanism, not just the claim.
Why String Stiffness Matters for Tennis Elbow
When a ball hits your strings, the string bed deflects, absorbs energy, then returns it to send the ball back. A stiffer string bed deflects less — it is more rigid, which means it transfers more of the impact load directly to the racquet frame, then up through the handle into your arm. A softer string bed deflects more, absorbing more of the impact energy in the string itself, and transmitting less to your arm.
String stiffness is determined by three things: the material, the tension, and the gauge. Polyester is the stiffest common string material. Natural gut is the most elastic. Multifilament sits between them. Higher tension makes any string stiffer. Thicker gauge increases stiffness. So the worst possible setup for arm health is thick, stiff polyester at high tension — and the best is thin natural gut at low tension. Everything between those extremes is on a spectrum.
Research published in the journal Sports Engineering has confirmed that lower string tension reduces peak force at the hand during ball impact. This is the mechanism behind the widely-given advice to "drop your tension if you have elbow problems" — it is not folklore, it is a reduction in dynamic stiffness that reduces shock transmission to the arm on every single hit.
Natural Gut — The Safest Option
Natural gut is the most arm-friendly string material available, and it is not particularly close. Its non-linear elastic properties mean it absorbs energy across a wide range of impact forces while transmitting very little vibration. It also holds tension better than any synthetic string, which matters because a string that loses tension quickly becomes stiffer over time — gut stays softer between restrings.
Babolat VS Touch in 17g (1.25mm), strung at the lower end of your normal tension range (around 45–50 lbs for most players), is the most protective setup a racquet can hold for a player with active tennis elbow. It is expensive and will fray faster than poly. But if your arm is genuinely in trouble, the performance trade-off is worth it while you recover. Wilson Natural Gut in 17g is equally valid at a marginally lower price.
For players who do not want to commit to a full set of gut, the most practical option is a gut/multifilament hybrid: gut in the mains (where most ball contact occurs), a soft multifilament in the crosses. This gets you most of the arm benefit at lower cost per restring.
Premium Multifilament — The Realistic Alternative
Multifilament strings are made of hundreds of fine synthetic fibres bundled together, which makes them far more elastic and vibration-absorbing than monofilament polyester. The top tier of multifilaments — particularly Tecnifibre NRG2 and Tecnifibre X-One Biphase — come genuinely close to natural gut in feel and arm comfort, at roughly half the price.
Tecnifibre NRG2 is the most-recommended arm-friendly string among teaching professionals and physios who advise recreational players. It has a long dwell time (the ball stays on the strings slightly longer than with poly, which reduces peak impact force), soft feel, and good tension maintenance for a synthetic. In 17g (1.24mm), it is the most protective multifilament available. Tecnifibre NRG2 gives it outstanding marks for comfort and consistently describes it as the closest synthetic to gut in feel and arm-friendliness.
Tecnifibre X-One Biphase is slightly livelier and more powerful than NRG2, with a similar comfort profile. It suits players who want a bit more energy return — more of a gut-like pop — while still keeping arm stress low. Available in 16 and 17g.
Other multifilaments worth considering: Babolat Xcel (comfort-focused, very soft, slightly less feel than NRG2) and Wilson NXT (warm, plush response, good for arm-sensitive players who want a reliable mid-market option).
For any multifilament, choose 17g over 16g if arm comfort is the priority. Thinner gauge is more elastic and transmits less shock.
If You Cannot Give Up Polyester
Some players are committed to poly for spin and control reasons, or their game is built around poly feedback. The blanket advice to "switch to multifilament" is not useful if it fundamentally changes how someone hits the ball. For those players, the conversation becomes about which poly is least harmful — and the answer is soft co-poly at lower tension and thinner gauge.
Standard tour polys — Luxilon ALU Power, Babolat RPM Blast, Solinco Tour Bite — are among the worst strings you can put in a racquet if your arm is already injured. They are stiff, they lose tension quickly (which makes them stiffer over time as the string goes dead), and they provide no elasticity cushion on off-centre hits. If you are currently playing these at 55+ lbs and wondering why your elbow hurts, the setup is a significant contributing factor.
Softer co-polys are a meaningful step down in stiffness from tour-grade polys. Toroline Wasabi is one of the better arm-friendly shaped poly options — it is a 1.23mm square co-poly that tested at -29% stiffness versus Babolat RPM Blast in Tennis Warehouse lab testing. That is a measurable reduction in shock delivery per hit. Tennisnerd describes it as "relatively soft for a shaped string" while retaining genuine spin bite. It will not protect your arm as well as gut or NRG2, but compared to a stiff tour poly it is a substantial improvement.
If staying on soft poly: string 3–5 lbs lower than you normally would, use 1.23mm or thinner, and restring more frequently to avoid the dead-poly stiffness that comes from lost tension.
Tension Is as Important as String Choice
This point is worth emphasising separately because players often focus entirely on string brand and ignore tension. Lower tension means a softer string bed regardless of the string material. A set of NRG2 strung at 60 lbs will be harder on your arm than the same NRG2 strung at 48 lbs. A set of RPM Blast at 45 lbs will be less damaging than RPM Blast at 58 lbs.
The practical guidance for a player with active tennis elbow: drop your current tension by 5–10 lbs when restringing, regardless of what string you choose. If you normally string at 55 lbs, try 48–50. If you go to natural gut or multifilament, the softness of the material gives you additional cushion — but tension still matters on top of that. Many players report significant elbow relief from tension reduction alone, before changing string type at all.
What Strings Cannot Fix
String choice affects how much vibration and shock reaches your arm on each hit. It does not fix poor technique, which is the most common underlying cause of tennis elbow in recreational players. The two technique issues most associated with tennis elbow are: leading with the elbow on the one-handed backhand (which causes the forearm extensors to absorb load at the wrong angle), and flicking the wrist at ball contact rather than using a stable, unit-rotation swing.
Grip size also matters. A grip that is too small causes players to grip tighter, which increases muscle tension in the forearm and worsens elbow loading. A grip that is too large limits wrist movement in a way that increases forearm strain on certain shots. If your grip size has never been properly assessed, that check is worth doing alongside any string change.
And for players with moderate to severe tennis elbow: rest, physiotherapy (particularly eccentric loading exercises for the forearm extensors), and anti-inflammatory management are the primary treatment. Switching to gut will reduce aggravation during play and help prevent worsening, but it will not resolve inflammation that already exists. The string change is a harm-reduction measure during recovery, not a cure.
Recommended Setup by Situation
Active tennis elbow, want to keep playing: Babolat VS Touch or Wilson Natural Gut in 17g, 45–50 lbs. Or Tecnifibre NRG2 17g at the same tension if budget is a constraint. Rest as much as possible and see a physio.
Recovering from tennis elbow, cautious return: NRG2 or X-One Biphase 17g at 48–52 lbs. Restring every 3–4 weeks — dead strings go stiff and undo the benefit of choosing a soft string in the first place.
History of elbow issues, want to prevent recurrence: Avoid stiff tour polys at high tension. If you prefer poly for spin, use Toroline Wasabi or similar soft co-poly at 48–52 lbs in 1.23mm. Check in with NRG2 or gut occasionally to give your arm a break.
Heavy spin player who cannot use gut: Toroline Wasabi in mains, gut or NRG2 in crosses as a hybrid. You preserve spin access from the main strings while getting softness through the crosses and avoiding the full-bed poly punishment. A more specialised option in the cross is Toroline Truffle X — see below.
Truffle X — An Interesting New Cross-String Technology
Worth a separate mention for arm-sensitive players interested in hybrid setups: Toroline Truffle X is not a polyester and not a traditional multifilament — it is made from a new proprietary polymer that Toroline has not fully disclosed, sitting in a category of its own. The headline number is its static stiffness: 0.20 kg/mm, compared to 0.58 kg/mm for Tecnifibre NRG2 and 0.55 kg/mm for Babolat VS Touch. That means it is roughly three times less stiff statically than the strings generally regarded as the most arm-friendly options on the market.
The important nuance: static stiffness and dynamic stiffness are different things. Toroline notes that the dynamic stiffness of Truffle X (the stiffness under rapid ball impact) is "comparable to many top-selling multifilaments" — so the on-court difference from NRG2 is more modest than the static stiffness figure alone suggests. Still, a lower dynamic stiffness than standard multifilament in a cross string is a meaningful step toward arm protection in a hybrid setup.
Truffle X is designed specifically as a cross string — not for full-bed use. Toroline pairs it with O-Toro mains in their "Stevie" hybrid, which combines the spin bite of O-Toro's hex profile in the mains with Truffle X's ultra-soft feel and slick surface in the crosses. The slick coating also increases snapback, which helps spin generation from the mains. Tennisnerd's Stevie hybrid review found the overall setup "very arm-friendly for a poly-based hybrid," though acknowledged it is difficult to isolate Truffle X's specific contribution from the mains in a hybrid test.
The practical application for arm-sensitive players: if you want to play Toroline Wasabi or O-Toro mains for spin and need the most protective cross possible, Truffle X is the most interesting option currently available at that price point. String it at the same tension you would use for gut or multifilament — Toroline recommends around 55 lbs with 5% pre-stretch. One installation note: do not exceed 35 lbs of force when tying knots — the ultra-soft elastic material requires care when finishing.
Frequently Asked Questions — Tennis Strings and Tennis Elbow
Can changing tennis strings actually help tennis elbow?
Yes — string choice affects how much shock and vibration is transmitted to your arm on each hit. Softer strings (natural gut, premium multifilament) and lower tension reduce peak impact force at the elbow on every single ball contact. This can reduce aggravation during play and support recovery. It will not cure existing inflammation, which requires rest and in most cases physiotherapy, but it is a meaningful harm-reduction measure that makes a real difference over the course of a session.
What is the most arm-friendly tennis string?
Natural gut — specifically Babolat VS Touch or Wilson Natural Gut in 17g at low tension (45–50 lbs). Natural gut has the lowest dynamic stiffness of any string material and holds tension better than synthetics, which means it stays soft between restrings. Tecnifibre NRG2 in 17g is the best arm-friendly option among synthetic strings and the most commonly recommended multifilament for players with elbow issues.
Is polyester bad for tennis elbow?
Stiff polyester at high tension is among the worst setups for arm health — it is rigid, vibration-transmitting, and loses tension quickly, which makes it even stiffer over time as it goes dead. That said, not all polyester is equal. Soft co-polys like Toroline Wasabi test significantly lower in stiffness than tour-grade polys and are a much better option for arm-sensitive players who play with poly. If your arm is in active pain, switching away from stiff poly is strongly advised.
What tension should I use if I have tennis elbow?
Drop your current tension by 5–10 lbs when restringing. Lower tension directly reduces string bed stiffness and peak impact force on the arm. If you normally string at 55 lbs, try 48–50. This change, on its own, can provide noticeable relief before you even consider changing string material. Avoid going above 55 lbs while recovering from any elbow problem.
Should I use 16g or 17g if I have tennis elbow?
17g (thinner). Thinner gauge strings are more elastic and transmit less shock than thicker gauges of the same string. 17g NRG2 is meaningfully softer than 16g NRG2. The trade-off is slightly less durability, but for arm-sensitive players the comfort gain is worth it. 18g is available in some strings and is the most elastic option, though it is less common and wears faster.
Will better strings fix my tennis elbow?
No — not by themselves. Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that typically involves inflamed tendons and often has a technique component. The right strings reduce the shock reaching your arm on each hit, which reduces aggravation and supports recovery, but they do not treat existing inflammation. For moderate to severe cases, rest and physiotherapy (particularly eccentric loading exercises for the forearm extensors) are the primary treatments. String choice is a supportive measure, not a replacement for medical management.
Arm-friendly strings including Tecnifibre NRG2, natural gut, and Toroline Wasabi are available at The Tennis Store with shipping across Australia and New Zealand.